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Following the victory over Cyprus's Omonia, Luís Mata shared his thoughts on the match in Almaty. He also addressed the decision to move the club's next Champions League encounter to Turkistan.
The footballer stated that while playing at home is preferable, the change of venue should not impact the players' performance.
"We are happy; we played an incredible game. We controlled the match but couldn't score, despite creating enough chances. As for the penalty shootout—it was that Almaty magic again that we saw last year. We are delighted to have secured a spot in the European group stages. Moving the next Champions League match to Turkistan? Of course, we would have liked to play in Almaty, at our home, but I will say this: it shouldn't be an excuse for us, no matter what," the Portuguese player was quoted as saying.Vesti.kz.
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Kairat knocks out Omonia to advance
As a reminder, the second leg of the Champions League qualifying round between Kairat Almaty and Omonia Nicosia took place on July 29 in Almaty. Notably, the Cypriot side won the first leg at their home stadium with a score of 1-0.
Tensions mounted from the opening whistle.
In the 26th minute, Omonia forward Andronikos Kakoullis was sent off for dangerous play.
Ten minutes after the red card, head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin made two substitutions. Defender Lev Kurgin and midfielder Damir Kasabulat left the pitch, replaced by winger Ismail Bekbolat and forward Édmilson.
The move paid off immediately. Just a minute after coming on, Kairat's Brazilian forward opened the scoring with a header into the bottom right corner.
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No further goals were scored, and the match proceeded to a penalty shootout. Kazakh goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov saved his team with two incredible stops, securing Kairat's ticket to the next round of the Champions League.
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Kairat vs. Kanye West: Why the concert could hinder Almaty's Champions League ambitions
It was previously reported that the manager of famous American rapper Kanye West announced a concert at Almaty's Central Stadium on August 14.
Following the announcement, Kairat stated that the date had not been coordinated with the club, despite the Almaty side being scheduled to play a home Champions League qualifier on August 12.
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After defeating Omonia, the Almaty team will face Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) in the third round.
Ultimately, it was agreed to move the match to Turkistan, forcing the Almaty side to play a crucial Champions League fixture away from their home stadium.
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"The concert is more important" — Kairat coach on Kanye West replacing UCL in Almaty
